So my new years goal is to run in 2 road running races this year. One I wanted to be a mile race downtown called the Main Street Mile. And a 2nd had to be a longer race- 5k, 10k , half marathon or more. I got a wild hair last night & just registered for a marathon in November. That gives me 10 months to really buckle down & prepare. I think I put 4:40 down as my goal finish time. A little too generous since I'm not a strong runner... I have not told my bf about this yet. He will think I'm crazy. I told one coworker. He thought I am crazy. I just told my bff. I said its ok if he wants to say that I am crazy- which he promptly did lol. So, what I would like to know from everyone here is how was your first marathon race? How did you prepare? What did you learn from your first race? I have a workout plan in place that I will use and I have already read 4 different books on marathons, so I already feel like I have a basic understanding, but I would like to hear some of your responses.

overprepare

do not only do ONE 20+ training run... try and get in at least 3......the first one will SUCK, the second one will be better, and by the time the marathon comes 20+ milers will be a BREEZE....... for the long runs i recommend audiobooks or podcasts to pass the time-- your biggest challenge will be BOREDOM.

i also found Lactic Acid training to be CRUCIAL to my marathon success. in the couple months leading up to the big day i was doing 2 LA Threshold runs @ approx 11 miles each every week...... as a result i nailed my goal paces and was increasing my speed after 20 miles where everyone else was falling out. My goal was a sub 4 hr, and i came in at 3:58 and change. The LA Training taught my legs to process out the lactic acid as i was running, and increased my threshold. It also INGRAINED my marathon pace into my legs so that as a result, to this DAY i can fall into a 9 minute mile without even thinking about it! it was the greatest experience of my life. If its your first and you ARENT a strong runner, then please dont worry about setting a goal pace! Also, however fast you can run a 10K, add 2 minutes AT LEAST to that per mile time for your marathon long run training pace

How long have you been running and how many miles per week are you running right now? Have you run any other shorter distance races before?

I am signed up for my first ultramarathon (50K!) in May and I'm super excited about it.

Wow! That's awesome! I really want to take baby steps and do a 10k in the spring! Try as I might I find it so hard ot run more than 4 miles and change! GOOD LUCK!

mkroyer- Thanks for the info! I think overtraining is a good idea. I don't want to really be surprised about how I will feel or bonk when the big day rolls around. I will have to look up the LA Training because I don't know anything about it. LA Training sounds like something smart to do.

Trail Runner- I have not run any races before! I signed the BF and his son up last year for the Main Street Mile, but I did not run. I felt like I was too big and too out of shape to run a mile in public. I want to do it this year. It is in June. The BF and his son both ran the mile in 7 minutes without any practice runs or training, so I would like to beat that this year. I have only been running/jogging, like, 3 miles a week regularly since December. Contrats on signing up for the Ultra! It seems so extreme and in a way, fun. If this whole marathon thing goes well this year, maybe an ultra will be a goal for next year.

Overtraining is NEVER a good idea. It leaves you tired, achey, and prone to injury.

What mkroyer is suggesting is not overtraining at all. Having more than one 20-mile run under your belt for a marathon is mainstream advice--the idea that with having one 20-miler you can deal with the wall and eke out 26 is aggressive and designed to get you to finish, not necessarily to finish well.

It's (edit: also) aggressive to plan a marathon on less than a year of consistent running, let alone trying to hit 26 miles in one run from a base of 3 miles a week. I most sincerely wish you luck.

OMG..I am truly impressed!!!! You go girl!!!! I started running this year and want to run a marathion before im 50, only running 3 miles now and super slow.....guess i am way slower than you...lol
Pls keep us updated on your progress and weekly training,,,,maybe help us out in the future.....KEEP ON TRUCKING!!!!!!!!!!!!

Woohoo! You go! I love hearing about people who work their way up! I am still working on a half...up to 16k. It's taken me much more than a year, however. Be careful and wise about the training. You may have to run walk a bit, because they don't recommend increasing your distance too drastically...the usual number is 10% of your weekly mileage per week, which is less than half a mile per week increase at what you're running now.

Mariamaria- lol I'm a dork. I did mean over prepare instead of over training. I guess I need some coffee lol. Yea, I really want to push myself, but I don't want to kill myself in the process.

That's great! But you really shouldn't have a set time goal for your first marathon - just run to finish it comfortably and enjoyably. Make VERY sure not to start out too fast in the first half or you will be really sorry in the last 6-8 miles. I've finished 5 so far and I always pass so many people that look like they are dying at the end. There are many great training programs - I like Jeff Galloway's programs best but that's a personal preference. Good Luck!

BTW, it's almost time to sign up for the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC - if anyone is interested. It's open to anyone, but they sell out in VERY fast.

MariaMaria took the words out of my mouth - it is not recommended to run a marathon without having a year or two of consistant running under your belt. Most experienced runners will tell you that you should be running around 30 miles per week (mpw) for a few months before even begining marathon training. That's not to say that you can't complete a marathon at the end of 2011, but you're going to be much more prone to injury and it's going to be much harder. Running a half marathon at the end of the year is MUCH more obtinable goal - I went from couch to half marathon in about a year without any issues. It is only after 3 years of consistant running (I put in 500 miles in 2008, 830 miles in 2009 and 1,100 miles in 2010) that I am finally feeling ready to take on the marathon/ultramarathon distance. Which marathon did you sign up for?

If you don't want to go down to the half marathon (the race may let you switch even though you registered for the full marathon) and you're committed to training right for this marathon, then here we go...

You're running 3 miles per week right now? Is that a 3 mile run once a week or three 1 mile runs? You should look into Couch to 5K (C25K) and follow that plan so that you are comfortable running 3 miles 3-4 days a week (12mpw). Go run a 5K sometime in March or April to experience the race atmosphere.

You will need to slowly building your mileage up over the spring/summer. Don't increase your mileage by more than 10% each week. Take every 3rd week as a "cutback" week (reduce your mileage by 25%-ish) so your body gets some rest and you don't get burned out. Possibly follow a 10K or half marathon training plan during this time. Hal Higdon has some great free beginner programs (just google - it'll pop right up) that you could follow. Another poster recommended Jeff Galloway, which would be fine too.

Marathon training programs are typically 18 weeks long, which would put you starting yours around August. Running a half marathon during the middle of your marathon training will give you a good idea of where you are at.

Honestly, there's so much more to be said about this. I'm a regular poster over at the forums on Runner's World (but with a different user name) -- you could get some great advice over there. (Go to their forums section and then to Beginner's.) But if you do, be prepared to hear that you're not ready to tackle a marathon at the end of November. They're a great group over there, but they don't want to see anyone get injured either. But you'll get some great training advice if you stick around.

Sorry that was so long!

I don't know if I should commend you or he scared for you. I have a year of consistent running under my belt and have run 1 half marathon and now run 20-25 miles per week and I don't feel anywhere close to being ready to tackle a marathon. But that's me and many people shoot for a marathon right out of the gate. What I would recommend is taking this very seriously and doing a TON if research. You could seriously injure yourself without proper knowledge. I'd also recommend researching marathon training and weight loss, because the two really aren't compatable and it can really mess with your head to be training so hard and not losing. Or to be training hard and under eating thus destroying your metabolism. Anyway, good luck!

THIS^^...seriously.

I second the recommendation for the beginner's forum at Runner's World. They will give it to you straight--they get a lot of people wanting to go from 0-marathon without really knowing what's involved and they give them very good advice.

They're not going to give you false hope though. They will tell you straight up that you're not ready. So be prepared for that. But if you insist on running the marathon, they'll give you advice on how to get ready the best you possibly can.

Let me know if you decided to head over to Runner's World. If you use the same user name I'll be on the lookout for you.